


LUCKY ONE

by inefxable



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fanfiction, Humor, Light Angst, Matchmaking, Platonic Relationships, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-15 01:18:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11795427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inefxable/pseuds/inefxable
Summary: ❛ at the raging momentand you stop in my worldyou are my only one ❜It was a simple coincidence that Kim Junmyeon ended up on the flight with Vera Khanna, but it had been pure luck for her to stay.





	1. LUCKY ONE SYNOPSIS

**Author's Note:**

> I republished this one after some slight editing! Lucky One is only avaliable on AO3 as of now but it will be on Wattpad and Quotev after I create a cover. Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy! Edit: Fixed a minor technical mistake. This is not completed!

_lucky one_  
**synopsis**

⌬

❛ at the raging moment  
and you stop in my world  
you are my only one ❜

For South Korean boy band, EXO, two flights will be compiled into one day of flying for a tour of America, beginning in San Francisco. Though they try not to show it, the constant flying is a drag, but they're excited for another trip to America, eager to see the sites that the West Coast had to offer. On the early morning of their flight from Barcelona, they're dead on their feet but the attention is diverted to the young Vera Khanna boarding before the group, wings pinned proudly to her white shirt. Kim Junmyeon picks up on the English gossip flying around quicker than his counterparts—Vera is the youngest commander to fly a Boeing 777 in all of aviation history and is only twenty-five years old. He tries to not let the snickers and teasing of his  _dongsaengs_ get to him as he stares after Vera with a wide-eyed look and a dry mouth.

As it turns out, flights aren't always bores and he learns that quickly when he briefly catches her eyes while she's preparing the plane. Admittedly, hearing her warm voice over the intercom as she quickly informs them about their flight makes his heart beat a lot more faster than it should. It is an utter stroke of luck that they're to stay on this plane for two, long flights. However, he doesn't see her face for much of the duration of the flight, only seeing her after and before. Eventually, they depart from the plane, leaving Vera and her counterpart for a three-hour layover.

It is only when he continuously meets Vera that he truly takes advantage of this streak of luck—and with the pushing of his  _dongsaengs_ , he's very willing to make her a permanent part of his life. Of course, after some groveling—because if he could stay by her side with no problems,  _that_  would make him the luckiest man on earth. 

 


	2. 「01」

**「01」 “DEPARTING: BARCELONA, SPAIN”**

 

Language Key:

“English”

**_“Korean”_ **

 

**IN THE EARLY HOURS** of the morning, El Prat International Airport buzzed with activity. Travelers ambled through the halls, suitcases rolling behind them, backpacks and duffle bags slung over shoulders, heads tilted upward to look at terminal and gate directory signs, an alarming eye always turned towards the clock.

 

But even with the busyness of the airport, the nine boys slouched their shoulders, eyelids droopy and heads heavy as they stood by their designated marker posted outside of the gate along with the other passengers. The two eldest, Kim Minseok and Kim Junmyeon, kept a close eye towards the gate, watching as previous passengers exited the plane that they would be boarding. Finally, the outtake of passengers stopped and the door shut once again.

 

Junmyeon looked at his boarding pass—while their boarding passes said Barcelona to New York, the flight was stopping in London to refuel and they were to stay there for about thirty minutes, then fly out to New York City. He looked up when he heard a small commotion; the boys shared confused looks as the other passengers began to whisper loudly amongst themselves, some of it in Spanish, some in English.

 

The boys murmured to each other in curiosity while he tried to eavesdrop on a conversation taking place between an older man and woman. He only picked up on the name _Vera Khanna_ . Leaning over to his _dongsaengs_ , he said: **_“Something about . . . Vera Khanna?”_ ** He tested out her name on his tongue.

 

**_“That’s what I heard too,”_ ** Park Chanyeol agreed, nodding. **_“Do you think she’s famous or something?”_ **

 

There were a few shrugs, then Oh Sehun cleared his throat. **_“She is. Kind of, anyway. Vera Khanna is the youngest female commander in aviation history to fly a Boeing 777 . . . it says here that she’s twenty-five and from,”_ ** he frowned, lips pursed, **_“Vijayawada? It’s in India. Look.”_ **

 

Sehun showed them his phone, a picture of Vera under the headline of **_YOUNGEST FEMALE COMMANDER OF A BOEING 777_ ** . She had caramel-colored skin, black hair piled into a low bun, her brown eyes shining brightly; she wore a regular pristine, white button-up pilot’s shirt. _She’s really pretty._

 

**_“In their entire history? That’s pretty cool,”_ ** Byun Baekhyun commented, eliciting murmurs of agreement. **_“But what does she have to do here?”_ **

 

**_“I think she’s flying our plane,”_ ** Do Kyungsoo spoke up. **_“Look.”_ **

 

They all looked up to see the very same woman in the picture walked past the markers, a small suitcase rolling behind her. She had a black blazer over her white shirt and a black hat fitted on her head, but she looked a lot prettier in person than in a photo over a screen. Junmyeon’s mouth went dry when she paused near them, turning back to look at the dark-skinned woman dressed identically to her following at a slower pace. She was older, laugh lines engraved into her face, her hair shaved to a fashionable buzzcut.

 

“Get any slower, Mae, and I’ll have to tell _Bravo_ that your old age is interfering with our schedule,” Vera teased lightly. Junmyeon could hear the soft, barely-there Indian lilt in her voice, enunciated on certain vowels. He smiled in amusement with the others, ignoring the increase in whispers around them.

 

The woman—Mae—scowled, but her eyes held a lightness to them. “If anything, _Bravo Airlines_ should have an older pilot. The older you are, the more experience, isn’t it?”

 

“I guess . . . but how can I be sure you won’t break a hip pulling the joystick?”

 

Junmyeon couldn’t help the burst of laughter that escaped his mouth. Vera glanced at him and met his smiling eyes, her brown eyes sparkling. She shot him a grin and turned around, continuing her way to the door with Mae following behind closely, the older woman shaking her head in exasperation. He watched them show an ID and then enter the jetbridge.

 

**_“Junmyeon-hyung,”_ ** Chanyeol began, an impish grin curling his lips, **_“are you blushing?”_ **

 

He averted his eyes, one hand coming up to his cheek. Much to his horror, his skin felt hot under his palm. **_“Shut up.”_ ** He didn’t bother denying it, either.

 

They began snickering, poking fun at his red face while he looked away in mild embarrassment. The boys didn’t cease their teasing but after a while, most of them abstained and simply laughed at the teases made by Baekhyun or Chanyeol. Eventually, first class began boarding and he used that as an excuse to finally stop their teasing.

 

**_“You all have your boarding passes, right?”_ ** He asked, interrupting Baekhyun, who snorted and chuckled. Still, they nodded and he turned back forward just as their group was called. He handed over his boarding pass, waiting patiently as they scanned it then handed it back to him, allowing him to enter the bridge. He waited for the others to catch up before walking further in. There was no traffic in the jetbridge, but it was only when they stepped into the small space of the plane were they stopped as the first class passengers were still packing their belongings into the overhead bins.

 

The stewardesses smiled politely at them and he glanced to the side, spotting a head of black hair leaning out and holding the door to the cockpit open. His heartbeat stuttered briefly as she looked up and recognized him, standing up and leaning on the door to keep it open. He could see Mae in the seat, flicking switches and saying something inaudible into her headset.

 

“You’re the one who laughed at my joke about Mae, right?” Vera asked. Mae turned in her seat, narrowing her brown eyes at the younger pilot, who continued talking, much to his relief (he wasn’t sure if he could say something without stuttering—and his English still needed some work). “Thanks for that. Mae doesn’t think my jokes are funny—”

 

“Because they’re not.”

 

Vera didn’t bother replying to her. “—and the crew around here just laugh out of politeness and the fact that I’m the one who pays them, courtesy of _Bravo Airlines_ of course,” the stewardesses chuckled quietly and he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over his lips, faintly hearing the soft chuckles of the other members.

 

He looked to the side when he saw that the aisle was no longer blocked by passengers.

 

“Ah, well,” she noticed as well, “enjoy your flight.” She flashed another smile and disappeared into the cockpit, the door clicking shut behind her. Baekhyun pushed him gently and he forced his feet to move, walking numbly down the aisle. He found a seat in the middle row, giving him a straight-shot view of the cockpit door.

 

The others noticed his deliberate seating and chuckled quietly. He was lucky enough to get Kyungsoo and Zhang Yixing seated with him while the others took up the two rows behind him—at least with Kyungsoo and Yixing, the teasing probably wouldn’t be as bad.

 

As passengers began piling in, he felt someone shake his seat and looked up to see Baekhyun’s mischievous face peering down at him.

 

**_“Sit down, Baekhyun. There are other people here,”_ ** he muttered, disgruntled at the notion of more teasing.

 

**_“Aigoo, I’ve never seen you this wound up over a girl,”_ ** Baekhyun noted casually, ignoring the previous statement and tilting his head to the side curiously. Junmyeon groaned quietly, shaking his head.

 

**_“I’m not wound up, I just think that she’s . . .”_ ** he struggled for words. Baekhyun arched an eyebrow.

 

**_“Pretty?”_ ** Yixing quietly volunteered. Kyungsoo began chuckling as a grin spread over Baekhyun’s lips. Junmyeon couldn’t stop the disbelieving smile from crossing his lips.

 

**_“You guys are unbearable,”_ ** he mumbled. **_“She seems funny, that’s all.”_ **

 

**_“I agree with you there_ ** — **_her jokes are nowhere near as bad as Chanyeol's,”_ ** Kyungsoo nodded, making Chanyeol resume a position similar to Baekhyun’s and begin openly protesting. The attention was drawn to them as Kyungsoo made a swing for him, Chanyeol ducking it adroitly.

 

**_“Whatever you say, Junmyeon-hyung,”_ ** Baekhyun hummed in a cunning way as he slinked back into his seat. Junmyeon rolled his eyes, smiling briefly as he turned back around, sending a covert glance to the cockpit door just to see it shut. He frowned slightly but shrugged it off, turning to watch Kyungsoo insult Chanyeol.

 

⌬

 

“Those boys are cute,” Rosa Lynn, one of the stewardesses said casually as Vera stepped out of the cockpit again, holding the door open with her foot and leaning forward to grab a can of Coke. She flashed a smile at the passengers entering the plane.

 

“Young but cute,” Lillian Balewa spoke up, grinning teasingly at Vera. “Perhaps you have a better shot—especially with that first one who’d walked in.”

 

She snorted, popping the cap on the can and taking a drink of the cold drink. “He looks too young for me.”

 

“So, if he’s legal, then —?”

 

Vera shook her head at them. “Not _that_ young. Besides, I doubt I’ll ever see him again other than when Mae and I are seeing them off, so don’t make this weird.”

 

They chortled with one another, seeming to find her pessimism endearing. “But, hypothetically, if you do, would you do anything?”

 

“I don’t even know his name,” she said in disbelief. “What are you guys? Twelve?”

 

They laughed again and she rolled her eyes, waving them off as she began finishing up her drink. Adjusting her position, she leaned on the wall that gave her a view of the cabin after first class, still holding the door with her foot to peer in curiously. It was difficult to do so with the constant influx of passengers, but she eventually found him sitting in the middle row, on the aisle seat, giving him a good look at the cockpit door. _Could he . . .? No, of course not._

 

She watched as he interacted with another one of the boys that had stood behind him, an exasperated but amused expression on his face and a sly and interrogative one on the boy leaning over his seat. She took another drink. He did look young—not too young, like eighteen or nineteen, but early twenties, not that close to her age.

 

From what she’d heard them speaking earlier—when she’d been walking up the jetbridge door—it had sounded like Korean. Japanese dialect was swift and Chinese had hard pronunciation, while Korean was somewhere in the middle—plus, she’d made several stops in South Korea, even having to stay the night once. She figured a few of them were probably Korean but couldn’t say the same for all, as she hadn’t gotten a good look at each of their faces. Vera wondered if they were related. _Close friends traveling together? Probably._

 

She downed the rest of her drink and tossed it into the trashbag. Giving another smile to the passengers still entering the plane and an accusatory look towards Lillian and Rosa, she went back into the cockpit, allowing the door to shut and lock behind her. Mae sat on the right, headset on and running her own diagnostics to make sure everything was good.

 

Vera sat down, getting comfortable then clicking her seatbelt in and sliding on her headset, turning it on. She was bombarded with the information and signals given by the command central and took ten minutes to begin the works of running through the plane’s logistics as well.

 

_“Jetbridge is closing and retracting.”_

 

Vera reached up to flick on a few controls on the panel overhead. _“Everything good, Mae?”_ She asked over the communication line.

 

_“She’s in pristine condition. Just waiting for them to detach the fuel lock and close up the luggage unit so we can start up,”_ Mae replied, serious as ever, then she glanced at Vera. _“What’s this about the boy that laughed at your dumb joke?”_  

 

She grinned at Mae’s not-so-subtle jab but shook her head and focused her eyes forward. _“The girls are just acting like preteens again.”_

 

_“It was a founded reason, if you ask me. He had a starry-eyed look when you smiled at him.”_

 

_“You too, now?”_ Vera asked, eyebrow raised incredulously. _“Don’t you have something better to do than try to play matchmaker?”_

 

Mae smiled in an unusual moment of openness. _“I’m unmarried, Vera, of course I don’t. Besides, it’s not matchmaking unless I try to get you to pursue him_ — _and I’m not saying that’d be a bad thing either . . .”_

 

_“Okay, we’re done here, this conversation is not continuing. LOCCENT, are we good?”_ Vera switched her focus to getting this plane on the runway and into the air, ignoring Mae’s quiet chuckle.

 

_“Yes, you are cleared to move out the gate.”_  

 

While her utter attention was devoted to making this flight as smooth as possible, she was still bothered by the suggestions made by Rosa, Lillian and Mae. But as she pulled onto the runway and turned on the intercom, stating the information of this flight, she firmly pushed it all down and began what had become her dream job.

 

 Flying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I ever get any sort of Korean term wrong, please tell me! I've tried my hardest to do research but it's never very specific. Otherwise, enjoy!


	3. 「02」

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The terms I've used concerning aerodynamics are completely fake but I think the concept of it is real? I don't know, it's really not an interest to me, so if you guys know anything, please tell me! Enjoy!

**「02」 “ARRIVING: LONDON, ENGLAND”**

**  
Language Key:**

“English”

**_“Korean”_ **

 

 **NOT ONLY DOES** being on a flight with Vera make Junmyeon nervous, but the mere fact that they’re flying without their managers also shakes him up quite a bit. Since their managers had agreed on not garnering more attention on the band unnecessarily, they’d had them travel during the night hours and always kept it lowkey—no security guards and no social media at all times. Getting out of Seoul had been difficult but airports were tightening local security so fans couldn’t enter the gates and find out their destination.

 

It had been a very last-minute decision to fly them out to America for a twenty-six month tour, so their managers were pretty spread out over the U.S., arranging venues and planning the agendas. Their first stop would be San Francisco, where they would stay for a month then depart for one-week stays in different major cities.

 

 ** _“Hyung.”_** He turned to look to the side as best as he could, but Kyungsoo was asleep on his shoulder and he didn’t want to wake him up. He saw Jongin leaning over the seat, his phone in his hand.

 

**_“What it is?”_ **

****

**_“They finally posted about the tour—it’s everywhere, look,”_** Jongin said in a quiet voice, careful to not disturb the sleeping members and other passengers of the plane. Junmyeon grabbed the phone from him and scrolled through the Twitter feed, smiling slightly at the responses from their fans. The American fans seemed very excited and he felt bad, as they didn’t visit the U.S. often enough.

 

 ** _“I wonder how fast the tickets were sold,”_** Jongin mused, taking his phone back.

 

 ** _“Have they released them? Or did they just announce it?”_** Yixing entered the conversation, voice just as quiet. Kyungsoo began leaning forward and Junmyeon took a moment to gently push his head back to rest on the chair.

 

 ** _“I don’t know, can you check?”_** Junmyeon asked, looking up and smiling in thanks as the stewardess placed the plastic cup of water on his tray.

 

 ** _“Mm, I’m not connected to wi-fi. Jongin-hyung, check for us,”_** Yixing craning his neck to look up at Jongin, who was typing away on his phone, chewing his lip absentmindedly.

 

 ** _“Ah, it says here they’re releasing them in four days. We’ll be in San Francisco, right?”_** He directed the question to Junmyeon, who nodded.

 

 ** _“Since it’s the first concert of the tour, it’ll be a big production—”_** he paused when Kyungsoo groaned quietly and shifted positions so he was leaning on Yixing.

 

 ** _“Talking too much, hyung,”_** Kyungsoo mumbled and then fell back asleep, sending them into a round of silent giggles. Once they stopped laughing, Jongin slipped back into his seat and Yixing began dozing off, leaving Junmyeon one of the only ones awake. He took a sip of his water, glancing around.

 

They’d been in the air for an hour and a half and he’d already had three cups of water—not counting the one he was drinking currently. He shifted in his seat, drinking the rest of the water then leaning into the aisle to look at the restroom at the front of the plane, right near the cockpit door. He sighed and slid his tray back into place, leaving the cup on Kyungsoo’s tray, then unbuckled himself and stood up. Junmyeon winced, feeling soreness in his limbs as he stood.

 

 ** _“Ah, hyung, where are you going?”_** Baekhyun whispered, taking out his earbuds. Junmyeon turned to look at him, sparing a brief glance at the sleeping Chanyeol and Jongin watching a movie on his laptop.

 

**_“To the restroom.”_ **

 

Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something but he heard the a soft ding as the seatbelt sign turned on. Junmyeon sat back down and buckled himself back up, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He leaned over to buckle Kyungsoo and Yixing up as well and was sitting back into his seat when the intercom turned on.

 

 _“This is the Captain speaking; storm clouds were spotted ahead by LOCCENT so we’re circling around them, which will set us back another hour or so. We apologize for the inconvenience and other flights scheduled after this one will keep their doors open to accommodate for late passengers. Again, we are circling around the storm clouds to avoid turbulence and will be an hour later than initially predicted. We are very sorry for the delay,”_ Vera’s voice retained genuine apology but still sounded businesslike.

 

Kyungsoo had woken up but Yixing was still knocked out, shifting to lean on Kyungsoo’s shoulder as Junmyeon leaned forward to peer out the tiny windows. He couldn’t see anything other than white, fluffy clouds on a blue sky, but he figured it was ahead of them. The plane tilted, the movements jerkier than what he was comfortable with and he turned to look through the window on the other side of the window as they slowly leveled.

 

 ** _“That does look bad,”_** Kyungsoo observed, following Junmyeon’s gaze to the angry, grey clouds now next to them. **_“It should be fine though,”_** he yawned, **_“I’m going back to sleep, hyung. Don’t wake me up if we start falling. If I’m going to die, it’s going to be in my sleep.”_**

 

 ** _“Kyungsoo,”_** Junmyeon shook his head, grinning. **_“We’re not going to fall.”_**

 

Kyungsoo waved him off as he leaned his head on Yixing and began drifting back to sleep. Junmyeon smiled and chuckled, putting his earbuds in and turning his music on—he needed something to distract him the growing need to use the restroom.

 

Eventually, about forty minutes after the announcement was made, the seatbelt sign turned off and Junmyeon was scrambling out of his seat.

 

 ** _“Ah, you’re going to the restroom?”_** Baekhyun asked. **_“I need to go as well—”_** he began but Kim Jongdae beat him to it, an innocent smile on his lips.

 

 ** _“I’m going. You can wait your turn, Baekhyun,”_** Jongdae said in a teasing manner, making Baekhyun pout. Junmyeon huffed a small laugh.

 

 ** _“There aren’t supposed to be any lines, Jongdae—”_** Junmyeon began but his soft protests were unheard as Jongdae gently pushed him forward.

 

**_“It’s fine, it’s fine. If we’re quiet, they won’t say anything.”_ **

 

He allowed himself to be pushed to the front of the plane, shaking his head at their behavior. **_“You better not have anything planned,”_** Junmyeon murmured as they stopped by the restroom and waited, seeing it currently being used. He heard the toilet flush as Jongdae smiled coyly.

 

**_“Me? Of course not, Junmyeon—”_ **

****

**_“Jongdae,”_** Junmyeon said with a laugh, warning in his tone. His dongsaeng smiled again.

 

 ** _“Junmyeon,”_** he mocked in the same tone. Junmyeon didn’t have time to scold him for the informality as the door opened and a familiar dark-skinned woman stepped out, dressed in a pilot’s uniform. She recognized them immediately.

 

“Ah, you’re the one who laughed at Vera’s terrible joke?” Mae asked, crossing her arms.

 

Junmyeon stuttered over his words and Jongdae chortled over his flustered state. Mae smiled as well. “It’s alright—they’re not that bad, really, but don’t tell her I said that. Her head’s big enough with all this ‘youngest female commander’ stuff still circulating.”

 

“We know,” Jongdae said in thick-accented English. Mae didn’t seem to care about it.

 

“Where you guys coming from?” She asked, crossing her arms and leaning on the wall.

 

“Shouldn’t you be—?” Junmyeon smiled nervously as he pointed to the cockpit door, not wanting to suffer from anything embarrassing that Jongdae would probably say.

 

Mae shrugged. “She can handle it by herself for a while.”

 

“She can handle it, Junmyeon,” Jongdae repeated, nudging him. “We’re from South Korea, coming to San Francisco for a . . .” he trailed off and looked at Junmyeon for help, unsure.

 

“A tour,” Junmyeon finished, patting Jongdae’s shoulder in appreciation.

 

Recognition flashed in Mae’s dark brown eyes. “You’re our special guests, then? We got an email saying that there’d be an international band on one of our flights. We didn’t think much about it so that’s why we didn’t quite put it together—and it was early, we were tired.”

 

“That’s us,” Junmyeon said, nodding.

 

“Well, we’re glad you chose our airlines. Enjoy the flight,” Mae sent them a small smile then turned and knocked on the cockpit door. They heard the click as it unlocked and she entered, the door shutting and locking again behind her.

 

Junmyeon immediately turned to Jongdae with an incredulous look on his face. **_“Was this done on purpose?”_**

 

Jongdae snickered.

 

**_“No, hyung, that was just pure luck.”_ **

 

⌬

 

When Vera was around thirteen, her parents had taken her and her newborn brother to Kanpur in the Uttar Pradesh province—it had been four, long years of saving money to visit the populated city and it was where she discovered her desire to fly. The motel they were staying at was the cheapest because it was situated right next to the airport, meaning that planes were taking off at all times of the days and the overwhelming sounds of their monstrous engines were always heard.

 

Vera was utterly fascinated by it and would often sit outside of the room, watching planes land and take off. This new activity was beneficial to both Vera and her parents. Her parents could lull baby David to sleep and Vera would be preoccupied with watching the planes. For Vera, those planes were what pushed her to become a pilot. Initially, she’d been interested on how they worked, but after seeing a book on a plane’s dichotomy, she realized she wanted to fly them.

 

Coming from a financially-disadvantaged family hadn’t helped her situation at all—nobody in her family had any experience in aerodynamics. The most they’d known was that they flew passengers over large spans of land, over oceans and rolling hills. Most of all, the cost to go to flying school was steep but her parents were determined to get her there; Vera helped out with babysitting money while her parents worked day and night to not only provide for the family but for her funds.

 

She did end up attending flight school and eventually completed training; she worked for _Air India_ until she had a stable income, then moved to San Francisco to start up with _Bravo Airlines_ , where she rose through the ranks quickly. Her family was proud—she’d continue to do this if it made them happy.

 

Mae cleared her throat, drawing Vera’s attention. _“I ran into some interesting people out there,”_ she began, her tone neutral. The younger girl arched an eyebrow. It had been forty or so minutes since Mae had returned from a small bathroom break (pilots usually weren’t supposed to do that but, Mae trusted Vera explicitly) and she’d been rather quiet after the return. It had also been an hour and half since they’d circled around those nasty clouds, setting them back an hour and also wasting fuel. She wasn’t worried about their fuel usage but it was always nice to have extra just in case.

 

 _“Did you?”_ Vera asked absently, fingers briefly tightening on the control as her eyes flickered to the scanner.

 

 _“Two of the boys from earlier—the one who’d laughed at your stupid joke and another one. Their names—Junmyeon and Jongdae? Something like that, I think. They’re heading to San Francisco, you know, for a tour,”_ Mae informed her, glancing to the side.

 

 _“Tour? Are they the special guests we’re receiving?”_ Vera asked, glancing at her questioningly. The older woman nodded.

 

_“That’s them. Probably the reason security was being tightened, but that could be standard protocol with all that’s going on recently.”_

 

Vera hummed quietly, not fully invested in the conversation. She didn’t know them individually, so there was nothing for her to be interested in. Mae noticed and rolled her eyes.

 

_“Fine, we’ll talk about something else—are you going to breakfast tomorrow?”_

_“Who’s going?”_

 

Mae pursed her lips thoughtfully. _“Michele and Johnny—”_

 

 _“Is Dalton coming?”_ Vera interrupted, a smile spreading over her lips. Mae scoffed.

 

_“He’s their son, Vera, of course he’s going.”_

 

 _“Hey, he could have a playdate or something with another one of the kids from his school,”_ she said in half-hearted defensiveness.

 

 _“Please,”_ Mae muttered, reaching up to turn something on. _“If he knows you’re going, then he’s definitely going.”_

 

 _“That’s true,”_ Vera chuckled dryly, turning the communication channel to LOCCENT. She cleared her throat. _“London-Heathrow Airport, this is flight C346. Are we clear to descend?”_

 

 _“Flight C346, you are cleared for descent. LOCCENT warns you of storm clouds within your vicinity and suggests circling around,”_ the crackly reply came back, resonating in both Mae and Vera’s headsets.

 

They shared looks and Vera tapped into the line again. _“LOCCENT, _we don’t have enough altitude or distance to circle around; London-Heathrow is already within visual.”__

 

The Local Command Center didn’t reply for a few minutes and Vera pursed her lips.They were going to end up going through the storm clouds, which would make for excess turbulence, something that any pilot would prefer to avoid but she was undaunted if it was necessary.

 

_“Flight C346, you are cleared for a straightaway through the storm clouds but are advised to take caution.”_

 

Vera nodded in satisfaction. _“Copy that.”_ She shut off the communications from their side and Mae turned on the seatbelt sign. She tapped into the intercom.

 

_“We will now begin our descent into London-Heathrow International Airport. We advise all passengers and crew to be seated and strapped in at this time. Thank you.”_

 

The plane slowly tipped forward, turning slightly to land on the runway. The grey clouds came closer and closer, Vera’s grip tightening on the controller. She had never liked landing planes, but there was a satisfying feeling at embarking a plane in a terminal with no disruptions.

 

 _“Steady hands,”_ Mae said. _“Steady like a heartbeat, Vera.”_

 

Vera didn’t respond, already feeling the plane begin to jerk slightly as the clouds enveloped them. They descended until there was little to no visual. Rain pelted the glass of the front windows but washed away quickly from their high speed. Turbulence increased and she pursed her lips.

 

It was silent in the cockpit other than the hum of the engine. They dropped several hundred feet and began to regain their visual, the clouds thinning out but the rain continuing to volley down. She kept her arms steady as the plane bounced.

 

 _“I’m gonna make an announcement, you continue with this, don’t pay me any mind,”_ Mae murmured, turning the communication channel. _“This is your co-captain speaking, please prepare for turbulence on our descent.”_ She switched the channel again just as they regained full visibility, giving a wide view of London being rained on.

 

The turbulence kept up but they edged closer to the airport, the runway lights flickering on like a beacon. _“Flight C346 is still cleared for landing. We advise a steep landing as the runways are slippery.”_

 

Mae glanced at Vera. _“Steep landing alright with you?”_

 

_“So long as we get this plane on the ground unharmed, Mae.”_

 

_“Got it. This is Flight C346, we will be taking a steep landing.”_

 

_“Acknowledged.”_

 

Early landings were when pilots lowered the planes more than usual—there was a specific marking or shift where planes landed on runways in order to give them enough space to brake, but as it was raining and the runways were slick, they would be landing the plane before their mark in order to gain more traction and not slip and slide everywhere. It was risky business, because planes always had the chance to hit the fence or even a highway when performing steep landings.

 

Vera had performed a few steep landings before but she’d never liked doing it. Mae retracted the wheels and she pulled back on the throttle as the airport came closer and closer, the fence getting too close for her liking.

 

 _“Easy, easy, there’s a highway next to it,”_ Mae murmured.

 

 _“I’ve been doing this for six years, Mae,”_ Vera replied with a sigh.

 

_“And I’ve been doing this for fifteen years, don’t start an age game ‘cause you’re not going to win.”_

 

Vera snorted, feeling better at the banter. They made it to the runway, hovering above for a few seconds until Vera applied some more pressure to the throttle and they landed jerkily, Mae grunting in surprise at the severity of it. The bounces made Vera’s stomach drop a few times, like on a rollercoaster.

 

She braked it, and the plane sped ahead until it began slowing down; Mae flicked a few buttons for the wings to gain traction. The plane stopped bouncing but rain continued to hail down on them.

 

_“Flight C346, terminal A3 is ready for you to disembark at.”_

 

_“Copy that, LOCCENT.”_

 

They turned the corner and made it into the terminal area, slowly easing the Boeing 777 into the gate. The plane stopped and the engines and system began winding down.

 

Mae and Vera stayed in their seats as they communicated back and forth with LOCCENT, Vera making a brief announcement to the passengers as the jetbridge was connected to the plane and they waited for them to give clearance to release the passengers. Finally, the passengers were smoothly exiting the plane.

 

Mae sighed heavily, taking off her headset and rubbing her earlobes idly, Vera copying her movements and resting the headset on the control panel. “There was an unusual amount of action during this flight,” Mae mused.

 

Vera snorted. “Just wait until we take off for the six-hour flight over the Atlantic Ocean.”

 

“Don’t remind me.”

 

 


	4. 「03」

**「03」 “DEPARTING: LONDON, ENGLAND”**

 

**Language Key:**

“English” 

**_“Korean”_ **

_ “Hindi” _

 

**_“THAT WAS WEIRD,”_ ** Minseok said, perplexed as the final passengers exited the plane.  **_“I wonder why the flight was so bumpy. Do you think there was something wrong with the plane?”_ **

 

**_“Probably,”_ ** Yixing muttered. 

 

**_“But wasn’t she talking about the storm clouds earlier causing turbulence if we went through them? We went through the storm clouds here to land and it was really bumpy,”_ ** Jongin pointed out. They ignored the looks given to them by two older couples staying on the plane, used to receiving those types of looks by foreigners who didn’t know them.

 

**** **_“What if there’s a storm when we’re flying over the ocean? Won’t it happen again?”_ ** Chanyeol asked, sounding worried. There were a few mutters of agreement. 

 

“You guys look worried. Concerned about our impending flight? Or the state of the plane?” A new voice joined the conversation, light and welcoming. Junmyeon looked up to see Vera leaning on a seat, her arms crossed over her chest. Mae stood next to her, hands tucked into her pockets. 

 

They nodded sheepishly

 

“The turbulence was only because we had no choice other than to go through the storm clouds—we didn’t have enough altitude to go around the storm, which is what we would’ve preferred to do rather than go through all that turbulence. The chances of that happening again are unlikely, so don’t worry,” Vera assured them, smiling amicably. 

 

The boys looked much more relaxed now that the turbulence was explained and their worries were put to rest. Junmyeon tried not to stare at her too much—for she was much prettier up close—but his eyes betrayed him, tracing her face. Her brown eyes sparkled with amusement as she listened to Mae say something funny, the other boys laughing in their usual uproarious way. She seemed surprised by their zeal but welcomed it, chuckling quietly, but when a stewardess came by to remind them of something, she resumed a professional expression.

 

“However, we do have some good and bad news—and it’s addressed to all passengers staying on this flight,” she looked toward the two older couples and a man still seated along with the boys, “there are tanks of trucks coming by the airport to deposit fuel for planes.  _ Our _ fuel, currently, is a little over three quarters full, which isn’t enough for a three thousand mile flight and it just so happens that those trucks are caught in the storm, meaning they can’t fuel us up right now. The wait is about twenty minutes, then another twenty for refuel, baggage handling and boarding, we’re estimating a fifteen-minute wait for take off so in total, it would about an hour before we actually get into the air, contrasting to the original fifteen minute wait,” Vera explained, looking genuinely apologetic. 

 

“As an alternative,  _ Bravo Airlines _ is offering a switch to a different flight leaving to New York in five minutes,” Mae took a stand next to Vera, taking over their explanation. “The only downside is your luggage will arrive tomorrow evening and you will probably have to be split up,” she directed the last sentence to the two couples and the boys, “there are enough seats for you all, but not consecutively. Staying here, you keep your seats and have your luggage but will arrive in New York much later than originally planned. It is your own decision to make.” 

 

The man stood up and was lead away by a stewardess, having no quarrels with it apparently. The two couples talked amongst each other while Vera and Mae waited respectfully at the front of the cabin. 

 

**_“I think we should stay on this one,”_ ** Yixing said, turning in his seat to look at the others. Junmyeon agreed wholeheartedly but he would move to the other flight if that was what the others chose. He stood, leaning on the seat and facing the center row out of the three they took up.

 

**_“I agree,”_ ** Kyungsoo said.  **_“We’d need to split up and our luggage would be late_ ** — **_we have another flight to San Francisco after we get to New York so it would be completely thrown off.”_ **

 

**_“Hyung is right. We can afford to be an hour late but I don’t think our manager will appreciate us arriving with no luggage,”_ ** Minseok murmured, nodding. 

 

**_“So we stay? Junmyeon-hyung, is that good?”_ ** Baekhyun asked, turning to him with a sly glint in his eyes. Junmyeon had to hold in an exasperated but amused sigh at his antics. 

 

**_“Whatever is fine with me,”_** he replied earnestly. 

 

**_“We should stay, then,”_ ** Baekhyun said with an air of finality. He looked back at Junmyeon.  **_“Tell her, please hyung?”_ **

 

Junmyeon nodded compliantly, sending him a wary look as he sat back down in his seat. “We will stay on the flight,” he said to Vera and Mae. 

 

“Great,” Vera smiled. “Rosa, Lillian, do you want to escort the rest of the ones leaving out of the plane and tell the technician to alert the pilots of the other flight that they’re receiving four more people?” 

 

The two stewardesses—Rosa and Lillian, he presumed—nodded and motioned for the two couples to follow them after retrieving their carryons from the overhead bin. Vera and Mae stepped into the foot space between the wall and the first row, Junmyeon feeling his palms become clammy at her proximity. The couples passed and Vera and Mae moved back into the aisle, turning back to them after seeing the passengers off.

 

“You know, you guys can go and get some food,” Vera offered, tucking her hands into the pockets of her pants, Mae leaning on the frame of the opening. “We have about thirty minutes for you to wander the airport until boarding begins.” 

 

“We’re okay,” Baekhyun shook his head. Vera shrugged. 

 

“You can walk around, at least. You’re about to be stuck here for six hours—stretch your legs, wake them up, whatever.” 

 

Junmyeon was liking her more and more—she was hospitable, friendly, holding a certain professionalism but not suffocating or unattractive. It was hard to believe she was only twenty-five and making history already—there had been tons of articles about her history and the records she was breaking. Of course, he hadn’t read any of them other than the one Sehun had shown them, but he knew what they would probably be about. 

 

He watched her listen attentively to Jongdae, then answer a question about their turbulence, her eyes holding nothing short of kindness; she didn’t seem to mind their difficulties with English, in fact, he was somewhat sure that she was paying close attention to them when they spoke to catch the concept quicker. Like she was trying to make it easier for them. He wondered why she would do something like that—maybe English wasn’t her first language, either and she understood their struggles.

 

“ . . . a steep landing,” she finished answering her question, happy to answer any questions about flying. Yixing tilted his head to the side. 

 

“What is that?” He asked. 

 

“Hm? A steep landing?” Yixing nodded. Vera pursed her lips, her eyes roaming towards the ceiling in thought. “How can I explain this . . .” 

 

“I got you, Vera,” Mae entered the conversation, speaking for the first time since the four passengers left. Vera settled back and allowed the older woman to explain. “A steep landing is touching ground earlier than usually done. When planes land on the runways, there’s a specific area that they should land at in order to give them enough distance to stop the plane—there’s no marking on the runway or any indication of it, in fact, it’s more of a pilot’s intuition than anything . . .” 

 

Mae’s voice echoed in the back of his mind as his eyes drifted to Vera’s relaxed form sitting on a seat across the aisle, in the same row as him, her elbow propped on the armrest and her chin nestled in her hand. He shifted in his seat and his passport slid off his lap and onto the aisle floor. He leaned down to pick it up but tan, slender fingers swiped it before he could. Pulling himself back up, he looked at Vera’s smiling face as she offered it. 

 

“Thank you,” he said, taking a daring move and smiling widely at her. He watched with concealed interest as her eyes widened briefly and a stunned expression came over her face. He took the passport from her and settled back into his seat, casting a glance at Vera, who was leaning back in her seat, looking surprised and confused. He tucked his passport into his pocket, making sure it wouldn’t slip out then switching his attention to Baekhyun, who was talking to Mae and would probably be moving onto Vera after. His thoughts lingered on Vera—he had suspicions about her reaction but he couldn’t be too sure. 

 

It would be rather arrogant, after all, to assume she’d thought he was attractive. 

 

⌬

 

_ He’s too attractive for his own good. _

 

Vera had struggled to calm her palpitating heart after he’d smiled widely at her—a full blown smile, the kind that made his eyes crinkle, his full lips stretched in a toothy smile, making her feel warm. 

 

Because of her busy schedule as a pilot, she rarely had time to contribute to a romantic relationship, making it difficult to find somebody who understood this and were okay with the concept of her being out of the house very often. She’d also never felt the need to actively pursue a relationship—even if her parents had been hounding her about one ever since she had her twenty-fifth birthday. 

 

_ “You’re approaching thirty quickly, Vera, a steady boyfriend or girlfriend is appropriate at this age!” _ Her mother, Riya Khanna, had told her over the phone (Vera couldn’t make it back to Vijayawada in time for both Christmas and her birthday). 

 

_ “No, I think you’re fine without any man or woman,” _ her father, Aayush Khanna, had then hastily added. 

 

_ “Aayush, she’s twenty-five, she can take care of herself!” _ Riya huffed.  _ “We expect a significant other when you visit. And stop sending money to our checking accounts! We’ll talk to you later, love you.” _

 

Vera rubbed a hand over her mouth, sighing quietly. That had been over two months ago—December—and her parents hadn’t brought it up again. In truth, Vera hadn’t heeded both of her mother’s orders—she continued to send half her paycheck to her parents and she hadn’t found a significant other. All for good reason, she supposed—sending money, that is. She wanted her twelve-year-old brother, David, to be able to attend a good college; that was the main reason why her parents were accepting the money sent, even if they claimed to have it under control. 

 

She meant no disrespect, of course not, but now that she had a well-paying job, she wanted her parents to relax—use their extra money to spend time with each other, but they were adamant on only using the money for David. It couldn’t be a pride thing, because they couldn’t afford that, but it could be their upbringing. Whatever the reason, she was going to continue to help her family as long as she was able to. 

 

“. . . female commander to fly a Boeing 777. As you can imagine, it made headlines—I’m not even entirely sure how Vera managed to pull it off, but she did,” Mae’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. 

 

“Why did you do it?” One of them asked, sitting in the third row of boys, holding a youthful look. Vera sat up in her seat and gave a forced smile. 

 

“How about an exchange? Mae and I can tell you whatever you’d like to know about us and vice versa—starting with names, considering you know ours but we don’t know yours,” she forced a chuckle. They laughed, the carefree smiles on their faces making them much more handsome. 

 

“It’s a deal, then?” Nine nodded. “Great. Tell us your names, and we can get started—might as well use our time, right?” 

 

Names went around and Vera had to remind herself that surnames were first, then their birth names as she heard the names, assigning significant things to each name she learned. Baekhyun had a happy and bright aura, resembling a puppy with black hair, Chanyeol had revealed blood-red hair from under his black cap and his deep baritone didn’t quite match his appearance, Jongin was noticeably calmer than Chanyeol and Baekhyun, he was also the tannest out of all of them, holding a soft brownish color paired with his caramel-blonde hair, Minseok had a gummy smile and drawn features with brown hair, seeming to smile often. Yixing had black hair and held a sort of playfulness, Sehun appeared quite comfortable with the others, having aristocratic-like features and black hair, then Kyungsoo seemed to be the most level-headed out of the ones they’d gone through, also having a gummy smile that appeared whenever he smiled, along with short, black hair, Jongdae was more in par with Chanyeol and Baekhyun, happy and bright but also quite loud, paired with black hair and finally—this one had wracked her nerves more than anything, but Vera was sure it was because she was acknowledging his handsomeness—Junmyeon, the ‘leader’ of the group as the others had put it, seemed to be the most level-headed (she’d watched Kyungsoo make a few swipes at Baekhyun after some teasing), calm but confident with sandy brown hair. 

 

“Excellent. It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Vera smiled warmly at them. “Go ahead and ask away.”

 

Minseok went first. “Is it hard to learn?” 

 

Vera and Mae looked at each other, nods and shrugs being exchanged. “If you’re completely new to aerodynamics—flying—then yes, it is very hard. I know I had a hard time when I began attending flight school.” 

 

“But,” Mae interjected, “if you’ve ever had a family member or friend that pilots planes and have a general knowledge about airplanes, then it shouldn’t be too hard. It depends on your upbringing and what you’ve been exposed to.” 

 

Vera guessed that they’d never really known much about flying and was behind the concept, at least telling from the interested and enraptured expressions on their faces. Kyungsoo spoke next. 

 

“How does it differ?” He asked, pointing to Mae and Vera. “How was it different?”    
  
“For us?” Mae asked. He nodded and she shrugged. “My mother was a pilot until she had me. When I began to show an interest in piloting, she didn’t hesitate to tell me everything and anything about flying. Carted me off to flying school when I was seventeen and graduated in two years, started working for  _ Bravo Airlines _ and once I had a steady income, I began sending paychecks to my family to help provide.” 

 

Vera shifted in her seat, propping her chin up in her hand as the boys turned to her expectantly. “I, on the other hand, had no family members or friends involved in flying. My family was poor—we didn’t have extra money to buy me books on flying or anything that could help. The only semblance I had to flying was the planes that flew overhead. When I did make it to flight school, I was in a completely new city and environment. There were social barriers, language barriers, financial barriers, but I got onto my feet soon enough.”

 

“Was English not your first language?” Junmyeon asked, his eyes connecting with hers. 

 

“No, ah, Hindi was my first language and I learned English once I moved to attend flight school. It was very difficult but I somehow managed—I certainly won’t be able to write a book anytime soon, though.” 

 

He laughed and Vera allowed a small grin to cross her lips. He had a sweet laugh, one that she wouldn’t mind hearing everyday. Mae and Vera continued to speak with the boys for the remainder of their time, stories and information exchanged. 

 

The two pilots were surprised to learn that they were apart of a South Korean boy band named EXO and were on a tour in America promoting their new album—beginning in San Francisco, which was where Mae and Vera were living currently. It had sort of made sense though—the extra security in the airports, especially at gate checks. Vera had made a mental note to look them up when she went back home (but try to keep it general and not creepy). Eventually, Rosa poked her head in, smiling apologetically. 

 

“Vera, Mae, we’re about to begin boarding.” 

 

Vera pulled herself out of her seat, a smile still on her lips as she addressed the boys. “Yeah, we should probably head back to the cockpit anyway and start running system checks. It was nice talking to you guys, enjoy the flight,” she flashed them one last smile before walking back down the aisle, Mae following behind after waving a lazy goodbye. 

 

They took their seats after the door shut, flicking on switches and running logistics on the system. “Hypothetically,” Mae began, “how open would you be to hanging out with them during their stay in San Francisco?” 

 

Vera regarded her with calculating eyes. “They’re supposed to be very busy with this tour going on, and from what I’ve heard, it sounds like they rarely have time to relax.” 

 

“All the more reason to drag them out and do something. They’re young—I don’t advocate for them to completely drop their responsibilities but I sure as hell know that they  _ deserve _ a break.” 

 

“I think we’re reading too much into this—so they told us who they were and what they did, it was a simple coincidence that they’re also in San Francisco. Let’s allow them to do their job—” 

 

“Luck.” 

 

“Pardon?” Vera arched an eyebrow, confused. Mae casted a side glance. 

 

“It was  _ luck _ that they’re in San Francisco and hypothetically speaking, we could help them tremendously. So are you open to the idea or not?” 

 

Vera picked at a hangnail for a second then answered, “Yes, I am.” 

  
Mae didn’t respond, instead gave a thoughtful hum. It made Vera wary but she brushed it off and focused on getting this plane prepped to be in the air once again. But no matter how much she tried to ignore it, the boys lingered in the back of her mind, haunting her thoughts—and if she was being completely honest, she didn’t mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an interaction you've been waiting for! There is about one more chapter mapping out the plane journey then we'll go to the one on the ground and really start up the plot. I hope you all enjoyed!


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